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How to distinguish between knitted fabrics and woven fabrics?
If you want to establish your own clothing brand, in clothing design or when looking for a clothing factory to produce clothing for you, especially when looking for a clothing manufacturer in China, how to distinguish between these two fabrics is very important basic knowledge.
At present, most of the fabrics on the market are divided into knitted and woven. Woven fabrics are fabrics formed by interweaving warp yarns and weft yarns perpendicular to each other. Knitted fabrics are formed by yarns or filaments into coils with knitting needles, and then the coils are strung together. Today we will introduce the difference between the two.Knitted fabrics and woven fabrics have their own unique characteristics in processing technology, fabric structure, fabric characteristics, and finished product uses due to different weaving methods. Here are some comparisons.
Knitted fabric weaving method:Knitting refers to the process of using knitting needles to form coils of yarns of various raw materials and varieties, and then strung together to form knitted fabrics. It can be done horizontally or vertically. Horizontal weaving is called weft knitting fabrics, while vertical weaving is called warp knitting fabrics. Coils are the smallest basic unit of knitted fabrics, and coils are composed of loop stems and extension lines in a spatial curve.
Woven fabric weaving method:Woven fabric is made of two or more groups of mutually perpendicular yarns, interlaced at a 90-degree angle. The longitudinal yarn is called warp yarn, and the transverse yarn is called weft yarn. Each intersection between the warp yarn and the weft yarn is called a tissue point, which is the smallest basic unit of the woven fabric.
2. Fabric tissue characteristics
Knitted fabric:Because the coil is formed by the yarn bending in space, and each coil is composed of a yarn, when the knitted fabric is subjected to external tension, such as longitudinal stretching, the bending of the coil changes, and the height of the coil also increases, while the width of the coil decreases. If the tension is transverse stretching, the situation is the opposite. The height and width of the coil can obviously be converted to each other under different tension conditions, so the knitted fabric has great extensibility. It can extend in all directions and has good elasticity. Because the knitted fabric is formed by hole-shaped coils, it has greater breathability and feels soft.
Woven fabric:Because the warp and weft yarns are interwoven, there is some bending, and they are only bent in the direction perpendicular to the fabric plane. The degree of bending is related to the mutual tension between the warp and weft yarns, as well as the stiffness of the yarn. When the woven fabric is subjected to external tension, such as longitudinal stretching, the tension of the warp yarn increases, the bending decreases, and the bending of the weft yarn increases. If the longitudinal stretching continues until the warp yarn is completely straightened, the fabric shrinks laterally. When the woven fabric is subjected to external tension in the transverse direction, the tension of the weft yarn increases, the bending decreases, and the bending of the warp yarn increases. If the transverse stretching continues until the weft yarn is completely straightened, the fabric shrinks longitudinally. The warp and weft yarns will not be converted, which is different from knitted fabrics.The extension and contraction of the warp and weft yarns of woven fabrics are not closely related, and no conversion occurs, so the fabric is generally tighter and stiffer.
3. Fabric performance comparison
Abrasion resistance -- knitted fabrics < woven fabrics,
stretchability -- knitted fabrics > woven fabrics,
comfort -- knitted fabrics > woven fabrics
Warmth retention -- knitted fabrics > woven fabrics,
breathability -- knitted fabrics > woven fabrics,
tear strength -- knitted fabrics > woven fabrics
Anti-pilling -- knitted fabrics < woven fabrics,
dimensional stability -- knitted fabrics < woven fabrics
4. Apparel
Knitted fabrics: crew neck sweaters, T-shirts, sportswear, sweaters.
Woven fabrics: windbreakers, jackets, down jackets, fleece sweaters.
